"We. . .had a chance to meet with Pope Francis, which was a very consoling and inspiring encounter and conversation," said Fr. Lawler. "The theme of GC 36 is Rowing into the Deep, taking that story from the Gospel. As one person said, Pope Francis decided to come and sit in our boat for a while. And rather than tell us where we need to row, he showed us how to do the rowing, showed us how to go into the deep, using discernment and prayer from the Spiritual Exercises."

"He didn't give us a mission," said Fr. Paulson. "He was much more interested in calling us back to our foundational charism, [that] we should be ministers of consolation. And to do that, we have to live in consolation ourselves.

"It's only from that place can we move into accompanying the suffering of the world. . .at the foot of the cross, and to do this all with a sense of discernment as men of the church."

"One of the things that Pope Francis said was that in the Society of Jesus we use the gift of discernment to make space for the Holy Spirit to act and work in our lives," said Fr. Lawler. "That's one of the key messages that I'm going to take from this congregation — is always to remember we need to make space for the Holy Spirit to speak to us and to move our hearts."

February 5, 2018 — Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. Eugene J. Nevins, SJ (UMI), who died 11:30 a.m. on February 2, 2018, at St. Camillus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was 85 years old. May he rest in peace.

January 17, 2018 — “If I saw You on the street / and You said come and follow me…” These words from the song “You Can Have Me” by Sidewalk Prophets came on the radio one summer day. I had just graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the words spoke to me in a life-changing way.